The basis on which the teaching methodology at the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts is based is a deep tradition that dates back to the beginnings of the establishment of the institution – the Uzhhorod Art and Industrial School, opened in 1946. Decorative art was the main direction in the institution throughout the history of its development. Among the founders of this school are Vasyl Svyda, People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1978), laureate of the T. Shevchenko Prize (1983), Ivan Harapko, laureate of the regional prize named after Y. Bokshai and A. Erdeli.

The School of Decorative Arts has the longest tradition, is recognizable in Ukraine and abroad. At different times, Doctor of Art History Mykhailo Pryymych, Candidate of Art History Roman Pylyp, Candidate of Art History Ivan Nebesnyk and a number of other graduates who today shape modern artistic processes studied under this program.

Since the beginning of 2014, the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts has been conducting educational, methodological, scientific and creative work as a separate structural unit of the Transcarpathian Academy of Arts. The main tasks set by the Department are the preservation of original regional traditions, the development of folk and professional decorative and applied arts, and the achievement of a high level of training of specialists in the specialty 023 Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, Restoration (qualifications: decorative and applied arts artist, teacher; artist-restorer of works of art, teacher).

The Department provides teaching of such disciplines as “Design, Professional Skills”, “History of Ornaments and Artistic Crafts”, “History of Decorative and Applied Arts”, “History of Ukrainian Art”, “Sculpture”, “Technological Practice”, “Design and Construction Practice”, “Pre-Diploma Practice”, “Diploma Design” and others. The department’s teachers carry out the educational process at a high scientific and methodological level, forming the scientific content and practical orientation of the academic disciplines at the department, providing guidance for the independent educational and creative work of higher education students, and the analysis of the quality of students’ knowledge and skills is carried out through a system of current and final control.

Since September 2023, the department has been headed by the candidate of art history Roman Pylyp. A feature of the department’s personnel policy is the replenishment of its staff with former excellent graduates of the Transcarpathian Academy of Arts. The professional level of the teachers, deep knowledge of traditions and innovative teaching methods in professional disciplines open the way to the realization of the creative potential of each student.

The department regularly holds semester reviews of student works and creative exhibition events. Students actively participate in seminars, symposiums, and creative plein airs at the regional, all-Ukrainian, and international levels (in Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania).